Sales in the Premium Mid-sized segment fell by 15.3 percent in 2016 to 437,011 cars, the lowest level since 2011. This marks the fastest sales decline from among all segments, not just the Premium ones. As noted in the analysis of the Premium Compact segment, the decrease in sales in the Premium Mid-sized segment is driven primarily by consumer switching over to crossovers – in a neat bit of symmetry, sales in the Premium Mid-sized SUV segment rose by an almost identical 15.1 percent, and almost matched the absolute sales volume of the non-SUV sector with 434,412 sales . While the new Audi A4 enjoyed positive sales growth, and the all-new Jaguar XE helped bring in some new customers, these were the only two flickers of optimism in a segment that saw every other model lose sales compared to 2015. The only truly new entrant to the segment lined up in 2017 is the Alfa Romeo Giulia, which is unlikely to set the charts alight due to the brand’s obscurity and almost non-existant dealer network in the US. [Read more…]